(Oakland, CA) March 27, 2017 – Sports marketing and event management company Corrigan Sports Enterprises (CSE) announced today it estimates 10,000 runners will participate in the 8th annual Oakland Running Festival (ORF) on Sunday, April 2. The ORF will attract runners from more than 33 states and 8 foreign countries as they take a unique foot tour of the city to compete in a marathon, Kaiser Permanente Half-Marathon, Four-Person Team Relay, Bank of the West 5K, and Kids Fun Run.

Last year, the festival has generated nearly $12 million in economic impact for the city of Oakland and has helped raise $2 million for local charities since the event’s inception. This year’s marathon and Four-Person Team Relay begin at 7:10am while the start times for the other distances are: 7:30am Bank of the West 5K, 8:40am Kids Fun Run, and 9:10am Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon.

Lee Corrigan, President of Baltimore-based CSE and ORF Executive Director said, “We put on major races all over the country, and the civic pride we’ve experienced in Oakland since day one is second to none. Between the Crucible’s Ring of Fire, taiko drummers, Raiders and A’s fans, and all of the diverse neighborhoods, our runners have come back year after year for a truly unique Bay Area experience!”

Tim Cole, ORF race director, said, “We had to relocate our start and finish lines to Eastshore Park due to structural improvements currently underway at Snow Park. Other than that, the marathon course remains relatively the same and will be challenging yet fair for those who choose to conquer 26.2 miles.”

Celebration Village is free and open to the public and will include live bands, food and drinks, kids games and award ceremony.